France commented on the shelling of the russian city of Belgorod on December 30, attributed by moscow to Ukraine using "cluster munitions" and under the "supervision" of the United States and the United Kingdom. A representative of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs made these comments at a briefing on Wednesday, January 3, as reported by European Pravda.
The French foreign policy department reminded the questioner that russia is an aggressor state "conducting a strategy of terror, intentionally striking important civilian infrastructure objects, violating international humanitarian law".
They added that Ukraine is a victim state of aggression acting in self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.
"Russia has the ability to end this conflict and the accompanying human tragedy for which it bears full responsibility. To do this, it must withdraw all its troops from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine", - emphasized the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Following a series of explosions in Belgorod on December 30, the russian side reported 25 deaths and over a hundred injuries.
A source in Ukrainian intelligence informed European Pravda that Ukrainian defense forces targeted russian military facilities in the Belgorod region. However, due to "unprofessional actions of air defense" and "planned provocations", debris fell in the city center.